FLORIDA STAND YOUR GROUND LAW SHOULD BE REPEALED

Its been only five days since the verdict for George Zimmerman was announced. The Not Guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin case reverberated throughout the globe and everyone in America is screaming foul play. Florida's infamous Stand Your Ground Law vindicates people who fear for their lives once approached by someone who presents a threat to you. Problem in this case is a seventeen year old boy lost his life to the hands of a crime watcher by the name of George Zimmerman. Neighborhood crime stoppers are not trained to use guns on civilians, in fact they are to observe criminal activity and call the police if they suspect mischievous behavior. Not in this case, the crime watcher actually was the one doing the crime by carrying a gun and using it on a teenager. You can't go above and beyond your duties, especially when you were told to stand down from radio dispatchers. Zimmerman proceeded to follow his suspect, which led to Trayvon Martin's untimely death. On May 11, 2012 Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville Florida was found guilty and received a twenty year sentence in her case where Stand Your Ground played a crucial role. Fearing for her life, she fired warning shots in the air since her abusive husband blocked the entrance to her house preventing her from leaving. There was a history of abuse prior to this incident, which I find a little disturbing. The fact that the same prosecutor who tried this case was the same one who prosecuted George Zimmerman is a bit perplexing. Angela Corey, the Florida State's Attorney who was also prosecuting George Zimmerman. Florida's "10-20-life" law, enacted in 1999 mandates a 20-year sentence for use of a gun during the commission of certain crimes. Being that Alexander fired her gun during altercation, she was found guilty. Question everyone wants to know is how come the same law that convicted Marissa Alexander didn't apply for Mr. Zimmerman. Her case, no one was injured and she receives twenty years for a person with no priors. Zimmerman takes law into his own hands and walks free. A person is accused of murder, earns over half a million in donations in preparation for his trial and walks away free as a bird. There were a lot of mitigating circumstances in this trial that should have raised a few eyebrows. The whole world is in disarray behind this verdict and if we are to come together as a people, we all need to understand that this is not about race. The laws in Florida need serious looking into and need to be rescinded and outlawed. I don't see why a woman should spend twenty years in prison for trying to defend herself and someone like Zimmerman gets to walk freely. It's not about race because whether he was orange or purple, it wouldn't make a difference to me. Wrong is wrong, and when you commit a crime you need to be held accountable and punished for it. Just because your father is a retired judge doesn't vindicate you or place you above the law. We are a human race above anything else, so if we don't stand up for something we will fail at anything else. This tragedy could have been any one of our brothers, sons, or cousins.

STOP FRONTING FOR INTERNET!!

There are a lot of things people fail to realize so I'm going to highlight some things so there wont be any misconceptions. I've seen a lot and choose not to speak on it cause a lot of things make no difference to me. But it's gotten to the point where things are so out of control, I felt compelled to speak on it. The only thing I'm focused on is my writing. I don't care bout celebrities, half of them are frauds anyway so why would I be so into something I'm against. There are a few who remain down to earth, but I refuse to associate with people who only have their best interest at heart. I got wonderful friends and family, with that alone I'm thankful. I applaud you if your out there doing what you need to be doing to get to the next level in your life. I would never block my blessing by hating on the next man, I'm not cut from that cloth. I don't care bout anything that doesn't make sense to me. A lot of times we get so caught up in this internet world that we lose focus of whats real. If being real means to be fake, I want no part of it. People out here chasing something so hard that it doesn't matter who or what they step on to get ahead. Tread lightly, cause sooner or later you will be exposed. Don't fake it til you make it, that shit is lame to me! And if your gonna do that, at least block the people who know you in real life. You look like a jackass perpetuating something your not! Is it that serious? A person who aint never been nothing in life will go at all costs to try to emulate or impersonate something they're not. Its sad when you have to resort to that type of behavior to get recognition. It depicts desperation on that person, which to me is a weakness. Where's your self esteem, where's your dignity? You know better, therefore you need to do better. I worked too hard in life so when I see those who haven't put forth the same effort proclaiming to be on a high horse, I have to step back and let that person be. At the end of the day, I could care less cause what they do don't phase me. I just have to tell the truth to the people so they won't be blindsided by the antics. We all know how to decipher real from fake and those who can relate to this know I'm speaking the truth. I'm doing what I have to do that's all that matters. No endorsement from no celebs, I let my work speak for itself! I don't expect certain things from others so I learned to do things on my own...

FIGHT THE POWER

I'm so sickened by the events taking place within my community that I felt compelled to speak from the heart today. I haven't done one of these in a while but its needed. As many of you know, the Flatbush section of Brooklyn has been rioting ever since a sixteen year old by the name of +Kimani Gray was gunned down by the police a few days ago. Shot eleven times, talk about excessive force! There are conflicting stories whether he had a gun or not but I can't speculate since I wasn't there. Only his friends know what truly transpired. These people rioting don't understand that you can't fight the power with aggression. History has taught us that much, but no one wants to take heed. Dr. King opposed using violence during his peaceful protests, but even that didn't help cause demonstrators were beat on constantly. People talk about revolution but have the faintest idea what that entails. We're just looking for an excuse to be indignant and defy the law. We're amused and some find it exciting and entertaining just to be a part of something but when it all blows up everyone takes refuge. People these days lack direction, our youth are misguided and whats sad is the fact that this goes on all the time. It's now we decide to step up, but where's that same passion when one of our own is killed in our community? Community leaders are not trusted anymore, the public has lost interest and trust. They have no power, just a platform to speak for political gain. It's all about the next vote for them. A little press time makes for a strong campaign. You siding with the enemy and don't know whats really happening under your nose. Years ago, we had a million man march and I really thought our people were heading in the right direction. A lot of social issues were addressed, strangers came together and unified for a common cause. But the problem is, there's no consistency. People need consistency. Problem these days is the fact that a lot of youth look up to the older guys in their neighborhood. Kids emulate what they see so they're being misdirected and misled. The older guys teach them all the wrong things, but when the smoke clears they disappear. They're nowhere to be found! One of the reasons why I don't even post is because I've realized people want you to dumb it down. When it comes to speaking about reality, no one wants to hear it. Talk about whose the best rapper or any kind of gossip everyone pays attention then. It's sad but its harsh reality. The police officers involved have already been involved in five federal law suits prior to this incident costing the city $215,000 in settlements. They violated numerous civil rights violations, one officer was found in violation of numerous false arrests and illegal stop and search incidents. My question is, how does all this information get overloooked? They had no business on the street and should have been on modified duty. Just goes to show you no one cares, locking people up illegally is routine standard procedure. They should be tried and treated like any other person, just cause your an officer of the law doesn't hand you the right to shoot and kill people. Police need to be penalized and brought to justice for their actions period, but history has taught us this is not usually the case. No one wants to step up until it hits home. It doesn't matter if this kid is not related to me or you. The fact that it can happen to one of your kids is enough to make you want to spark a fire. We all got time to post random things online but I challenge you to not hold your tongue on issues affecting our communities. We talk about revolution but truth of the matter is people are not ready for it. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk. Condolences to the family for suffering through their ordeal, but people really need to wipe the wool from their eyes. FIGHT THE POWER!!!